Commentary

Among the many topics covered in this year’s State of the Union Address, President Obama discussed two issues that are critical for the continued growth of the U.S. economy — international trade and transportation infrastructure. Both are priorities the retail industry strongly supports.

News & Analysis

Don’t blame ocean carriers and bigger container ships for congestion at key ports; blame insufficient investment in equipment, dredging and automation at U.S. marine terminals, speakers said at the 15th annual TPM Conference in Long Beach.

The Central American canal projects continue to generate questions over funding — where it will come from in the case of the proposed Nicaraguan plan, and where it is going in the Panama Canal upgrade.

Protests marred yesterday’s ground-breaking ceremony in Managua for the $50 billion Nicaraguan canal as opposition to the bold Chinese-driven interoceanic project mounted in the Central American nation.

Africa’s inland freight network is so troubled that it costs roughly seven times more to ship a container from Mombasa, Kenya, to Burundi, in central Africa, than to ship a container from Shanghai to the major Kenyan gateway, an APM Terminal executive said.

Hong Kong’s long-discussed container terminal 10 may finally be axed after the latest port master plan study found that throughput growth had slowed to such a degree that it was not financially or economically viable.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Federal Highway Administration are seeking public comments on their draft environmental impact statement on a cross-harbor barge or tunnel for the movement of trucks, containers or railcars.

WASHINGTON — A group opposing the reconstruction of a CSX Transportation tunnel in a Washington D.C. terminal that would allow the railroad to double-stack containers has filed a lawsuit challenging a federal decision to let the project proceed.

A South African firm’s decision last month to build an $8.1 billion plant in Louisiana that will triple its chemical production capacity in the U.S. underscores widespread growth in U.S. chemicals manufacturing and in supporting logistics and transportation services.

The Federal Highway Administration has approved a preferred construction alternative for CSX’s Virginia Avenue Tunnel project, paving the way for the 110-year-old, 4,000-foot tunnel to be reconstructed for double-stacking container services after intense pushback from local residents.